• Bunched spinach
• Garlic
• Sweet Sixteen Apples
• Carrots
• Kohlrabi
• Head Lettuce
• Radicchio

On Rotation:

• Tomatoes
• Cauliflower
• Romanesco

New Veg!

Garlic: Beautiful heads grown by Bets. This is a softneck variety that stores well, in case it takes you awhile to work through an entire head of garlic.

Winter Kohlrabi: A colossal variety specially adapted to fall/winter, which stores extremely well in the fridge. Peel the tough outer skin and then slice it up for easy snacking: tender-crisp and juicy!

Spinach: We could never grow enough spinach to keep the world happy, but at least this week we're making the world a little bit happier. 

The first radicchio! I realize that my personal excitement might eclipse that of our entire CSA membership combined, but never was a salad-lover like me so ready to walk away from lettuce and into the arms of radicchio instead. The variety you're getting this week is a specialty type called "Marinanta," which visually resembles a head of variegated iceberg. I like to introduce radicchio season with this variety, along with the reminder that radicchio is the best winter "lettuce" there is. If you are resistant to that idea because you think radicchio is bitter, all you have to do is slice up your cabbage-like head of Marinanta and submerge it in a bowl of cold water for 10+ minutes. Spin dry and give it a taste. Blindfolded, you might wonder if it isn't iceberg itself: mild, crisp, juicy. THEN, toast up some croutons and make my favorite dressing, a recipe pirated from Nostrana (a fantastic farm-to-table restaurant in Portland), see hand-scrawled recipe card below. This is what my family will be eating as often as possible from now until February when radicchio season comes to a sad end. But why dwell on that when there is the fabulous present moment at hand, aka TONIGHT when we celebrate the 2023 radicchio kickoff at our house with an enormous bowl of Insalata Nostrana (my kids made me promise I'd make it for dinner, if that says anything about learning to love radicchio).

Apples! Apples! Apples! 

What a year for apples! Not only are you getting some in your share this week, we also have 10 pound bulk boxes of apples available that can be delivered to your CSA pickup site by special order.  The three varieties currently at their peak are Liberty, Honeycrisp, and Cox's Orange Pippin.

Liberty are deep red with exceedingly white, juicy flesh.  They have a sweet-tart flavor suited for fresh eating, baking, cider, and sauce.  The red skin produces beautiful pink applesauce if the apples are cooked in chunks with the skin on and then strained/pureed to smoothness.

Honeycrisp are golden and red streaked apples that are known for their light and snappy crispness.  They are sweet and refreshing.  Similar to Liberty, Honeycrisp apples are multi-purpose and can be eaten fresh or used in baked goods, cider, or sauce.

Cox's Orange Pippin are unsurpassed for their richness and complexity of flavor.  One connoisseur says, "Almost all other apples taste one-dimensional alongside a good Cox's Orange Pippin."  They have attractive orange/red coloring and an aromatic flavor.  Cox's Orange Pippins are multi-purpose, but fresh eating is the best way to enjoy the incredible flavor.

We are selling 10 pound bulk boxes of each variety for $25.  If you would like to get some, please click here to email your special order.  Your email should include the following information:

• Apple variety(ies) you would like
• Number of 10 pound boxes per variety
• Your email address, phone number, and CSA pickup site

Checks for special order apples can be made out to Valley Flora and mailed to PO Box 111, Langlois, OR 97450.

Fall tastes so good!!!